Using Red Light to Improve Metabolism & the Harmful Effects of LEDs | Dr. Glen Jeffery

Quick Overview

Long-wavelength light, such as red and near-infrared light, improves cellular metabolism by supporting mitochondrial function, potentially by altering the viscosity of the water surrounding them, and this effect is systemic, even penetrating through the skull to benefit the brain, contrasting sharply with the harmful effects of short-wavelength LED light which damages mitochondria.

Key Points: Dr. Glenn Jeffrey expresses extreme concern over short-wavelength light from LEDs, equating the public health issue to asbestos because it causes mitochondria to decline and become less responsive in real time. Long-wavelength light (red, near-infrared) improves health by being absorbed by water within mitochondria, increasing the spin rate of the ATP-producing motor, and promoting the synthesis of more mitochondrial proteins. Experiments showed that shining a small burst of red light on a limited area of the back systemically reduced the peak blood glucose response after a glucose tolerance test by just over 20% in humans. Long-wavelength light penetrates deeply through the body, including through clothing and bone; measurements showed only a few percent of the light reflects off the skin, with the rest being absorbed and scattered internally. Research on aging animals demonstrates that daily exposure to red light reduces the pace of cell death in the retina, preserving rod photoreceptors, a finding consistent with red light reducing the magnitude of cell death initiated by compromised mitochondria. John Metrofanes' work showed that shining red light on the abdomen significantly reduced symptoms of Parkinson's disease in primate models, suggesting long-wavelength light mitigates degeneration where mitochondria are failing. Short-wavelength (blue) light is highly energetic and damaging, causing sunburn (inflammation on the skin) and being blocked by the lens and cornea, leading to issues like snow blindness, whereas long-wavelength light is non-ionizing and safe for deep tissue penetration.